Indianapolis maker of dry ice prepares to ship, store COVID-19 vaccine

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — As the United States awaits approval for COVID-19 vaccinations, some concern has arisen that inadequate cold storage could slow the rollout.

Indianapolis-based Sutton-Garten Co. is preparing to be part of the solution. Sales manager Jacob Maynard said the company, founded in 1918, is Indiana’s only manufacturer of dry ice.

Maynard said not only have Lilly, Kroger pharmacies and the Indiana State Department of Health approached Sutton-Garten with requests for services, but so have places all over the country.

The Moderna vaccine has to be stored at minus-4 degrees Fahrenheit, which is the standard for most hospital and pharmacy freezers.

Pfizer’s vaccine, on the other hand, needs to be stored at minus-94 degrees Fahrenheit at least, a temperature that dry ice can accommodate.

Maynard said Sutton-Garten may not have the space to store the amount of vaccine Indiana could eventually need, yet the company’s capacity to ship vaccines will be a huge help.

“They can be stored in insulated containers. These hold up to, in the 16-millimeter product, up to 1,500 pounds. The block product, it will hold up to 2,500 (pounds) and it keeps that product fairly well insulated, but it will stay in these totes for a long time,” Maynard said.

To prepare for the vaccination, he said, the company has added more staff, shifts and equipment.

“We don’t know how far this is gonna go quite yet but we are certainly set up with outside storage tanks of the liquid CO2 (carbon dioxide). We’ve got plenty of pelletizing equipment. The possibilities really are endless,” Maynard said.

He can’t say for sure when Indiana will receive its vaccine shipment, but his team will be more than ready.